Big Fat Lies 2-Venuto

Presents…

BIG FAT LIES!!! A Shocking Expose of the 12 Biggest Scams, Cover-ups, Lies, Myths and Deceptions In The Diet and Weight Loss Industries! By Tom Venuto, Author of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance, LLC All Rights Reserved Order the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) E-book at: www.burnthefat.com BIG FAT LIES is brought to you courtesy of: www.bodybuildingapplied.com

This e-book may be freely distributed as long as all links and content remain 100% intact

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Introduction If you've ever walked into a health food store and asked for information about supplements... If you’ve ever read any one of the many popular bodybuilding or fitness magazines... If you've ever bought the latest best-selling diet book... If you’ve ever watched late night TV and listened to a diet or fitness guru preach about an amazing new diet, exercise machine or supplement... If you’ve ever surfed the web for information about diet, nutrition or training... If you’ve ever done ANY of these things, then chances are... YOU'VE BEEN LIED TO, MY FRIEND! Are you shocked? Surprised? Outraged? If so, then join the club - you're not alone. Honest information about nutrition and fat loss is harder to come by than ever before, and nearly everyone has been misled at one time or another. I know I have. I wasted literally thousands of dollars on workout programs that didn’t “work out” and supplements that didn’t do anything except give me “expensive urine.” To successfully navigate through today’s jungle of misleading and conflicting information, you're going to have to become a very shrewd and discriminating consumer. I’d like to help you do that, and that’s why I wrote this short e-book. There are three reasons why it's so hard to find truthful information today: 1) Money (Greed). Weight loss is a 30 billion-dollar a year industry. With this kind of money at stake, unscrupulous marketers will tell you anything - even outright lies - to get you to buy their products and to further their financial interests. 2) Information overload. Now that we're in the information age, lack of information is not a problem anymore. The problem these days is too much information. Fitness and diet "guru's" preach about their "latest breakthroughs" on TV infomercials 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Hundreds, even thousands of diet and exercise books fill bookstore shelves. Dozens of magazines clutter the newsstands every month. And to top it all off, the explosion of the Internet is adding to this "infoquagmire" at an exponential rate. There are 16,400,000 web sites listed on Google under “fitness” and 3,400,000 under “weight loss.” 3) Conflicting advice. Even industry professionals such as registered dieticians, research scientists, MD's, PhD’s, and certified trainers, give a tremendous amount of contradictory advice. There are a lot of opinions out there and everyone seems to tell us something different. This has left a lot of people frustrated, disillusioned, and thoroughly confused. It's hard to know whom or what to believe anymore. I want to do something about that. I want to do something that almost no one else has the guts to do: That is, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And you’ll find it right here in this e-book. So, without further ado, here they are: The 12 biggest fat loss lies exposed!

Fat Loss Lie #1: You need supplements to lose fat. Exercise, nutrition and the proper mental attitude (positive self-image) are the only things you need to lose fat permanently. Supplements are not a requirement. Some basic supplements are helpful for “nutritional insurance,” and some supplements can help speed up the fat loss process a little, but not nearly as much as the advertising leads you to believe. Even supplements that have been proven effective are only responsible for a small fraction of the results you achieve. Based on 20 years of experience in bodybuilding and fitness, I believe that at least 97% of your results will come from good training and good nutrition. If most of your results come from nutrition and training, then why would you chase after that last 3% “edge” if you haven’t even maximized the first 97%? Isn’t that approach completely backwards? FOCUS ON YOUR DIET AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FIRST! Believe it or not, advanced trainees, competitive bodybuilders or athletes will probably benefit more from using supplements than beginners. High-

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level athletes are more likely to have "maxed-out” their training and nutrition programs. Their diets are impeccable. Their training is intense. Their discipline is unwavering. Once you've reached a high level of development from intelligent, intense, methodical training and quality nutrition, and the closer you get to your ultimate genetic potential, the slower your progress will become. Progress can and will continue indefinitely, but as you reach higher levels of achievement, this is when supplements and other “minor” details make the most difference. In world-class athletics, competitions can be won or lost by hundredths of a second, a tenth of a point, a fraction of a pound, or a single judge’s opinion. The extra 3% that supplements might provide could be the difference between winning and losing. Now look at the average beginner or intermediate: They're still eating junk foods and skipping meals. They're not even working out consistently. And what do they do FIRST? You guessed it; they immediately run out searching for a "shortcut" in the form of a pill or powder. It's a shame that so many people look for easy ways instead of making the effort to learn how to eat and train better.

“Superior people never wish it were easier, they wish they were better!” -

Brian Tracy, Author of “Maximum Achievement”

It makes no sense to dive into heavy supplementation first in hopes of finding an easier way. Get your nutrition and training in order and maximize the first 97%. Once your training and nutrition is on point, THEN, by all means, start nit-picking and sweating the small stuff: Take advantage of every legal, natural and ethical edge possible to help you fulfill 100% of your potential and gain a competitive advantage. Respected exercise physiologist Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss of Kent State said, “Supplements should be the icing on the cake.” That’s a good way of looking at it. If anyone tries to convince you that supplements are essential and that you can’t reach your goals without them, beware; they are probably just trying to sell you something.

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Fat Loss Lie #2: The only way to get really lean is to "starve" yourself. Most commercial diet programs are very low in calories. Many border on starvation: 1200 calories, 1000 calories, even 800 calories or less! Ironically, the more you slash your calories, the more your metabolism slows down. In fact, very low calorie diets can actually make you fatter! It’s physiologically impossible to achieve permanent fat loss by starving yourself. When you eat less, your body burns less. When you eat more, your body burns more. It’s the ultimate paradox. Very low calorie diets not only slow your metabolism so you burn fewer calories, they can also cause muscle loss. Eventually, they shut down your metabolism completely. When this happens, the weight loss stops and any increase in calories that follows will cause immediate fat gain. This “rebound effect” is inevitable, because no one can stay on low calories forever.

“Dieting is not effective in controlling weight. You can get a temporary weight loss with a diet, but each scheme ultimately gives way to weight gain, and subsequent losses become increasingly difficult. Worst of all, you get progressively fatter on less food. Dieting actually makes you fatter! - Dr. Lawrence Lamb, Author of The Weighting Game Carefully scrutinize the calorie recommendations of any diet program before you start it. You'll probably discover that 95% of them have you slash your calories to “starvation” levels. Any diet program that’s extremely low in calories will cause weight loss in the beginning – but it will never work for long. You see, the human body is very “smart” - it always strives to maintain a magnificent state of equilibrium: Metabolism, body temperature, blood sugar, hormone levels, acid-alkaline balance and every other system in the

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body, are all regulated within a narrow range that your body finds safe and comfortable. When you subject yourself to drastic measures in an attempt to create sudden changes such as rapid weight loss, your metabolism cybernetically adjusts itself to maintain equilibrium in energy balance, much the same way as a thermostat maintains the temperature of your home within a desirable range. As soon as you’re in danger of starving, your body will quickly adjust your metabolic rate downward like a thermostat, so you burn fewer calories. This is often referred to as “the starvation response.” The only way to lose fat and keep it off permanently is to reduce your calories slightly and increase your activity greatly. It’s always better to burn the fat than try to starve the fat.

Fat Loss Lie #3: You can believe everything you read in the magazines. Most magazine publishers own supplement companies and use their magazines as the primary means for promoting their products. Certain wellknown magazines have been doing this for decades. One day, it dawned on the rest of them that more money could be made selling supplements than selling advertising or subscriptions. Before long, every publisher jumped on the bandwagon and started supplement companies. You see, magazines have mega-credibility. After all, they can’t print a lie right there on paper, can they? If its in print, it must be true, right? They’d get in some kind of trouble with an “alphabet agency” otherwise, wouldn’t they? Maybe. Maybe not. Editorials are more believable than advertising (that’s why they try to make ads look so much like articles these days). Most people will believe almost anything if it’s printed in a "reputable" medium such as a nationally circulated magazine. That's why magazines are the perfect vehicles for promoting supplements. Did you ever notice how many magazine articles are about the latest, greatest "breakthroughs" in supplements? These "articles" aren't really articles at all; they’re nothing more than advertisements in disguise! (with an 800 number for easy ordering at the end… how convenient!)

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Even if a magazine doesn't have a vested interest in a supplement line, you still can't count on them to reveal the whole truth to you because they don't want to offend the deep-pocketed companies that are spending big money to advertise. A full-page ad in a high circulation national magazine can cost tens of thousands of dollars. With this kind of money at stake, do you think any magazine will print an article saying “supplements don't work” and on the next page, run an ad for the same supplements they are criticizing? Not likely is it? It’s in the magazine’s best interest to promote supplements like crazy, regardless of whether they work or not, because the more supplements that are sold, the more the supplement companies will advertise. The more they advertise, the more supplements they sell, and on and on the cycle goes. This is the same reason you often get better investing advice from the smaller, lesser-known financial newsletters than you do from the major financial magazines and newspapers; because the major publishers don't want to write editorials that will upset the advertisers. Don't believe everything you read. Question everything. Use your head. Use common sense and your own good judgment. Beware of hidden motives. Just because it's right there in black and white doesn't mean it's the truth. If it sounds too good to be true…it probably is.

Fat Loss Lie #4: Meal replacement products, powders and diet shakes help you "burn" fat. Supplement companies would like you to believe that meal replacement products (MRP's), powdered mixes and shakes have some sort of "magical" fat-reducing or muscle-building properties. The truth is that they’re nothing more than "powdered food" (or “liquid food”). The primary benefit of these products is convenience. It's a challenge to eat frequently and to get enough high quality protein from whole foods, so quality MRP's are great when you're in a hurry and you don't have time to eat food, but they’re not better than food, no matter what any supplement "guru" says.

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Owners of supplement companies will say that MRP's are the greatest thing since electricity. That shouldn't come as any surprise; sales of these products run in the tens of millions of dollars each year. With the one possible exception of post-workout nutrition during massbuilding programs, eating real food is better than drinking shakes. The human gastrointestinal system has evolved to efficiently digest whole food, not powders or pills. The process of digesting solid food every three hours actually increases your metabolic rate. This is known as the "thermic effect of food." Powders fail to take advantage of this metabolic boost.

“Food is the cornerstone of nutrition. If you don’t eat the proper foods - lean proteins, starchy carbs, and fibrous carbs - nothing else matters. No supplement can ever provide you with all the benefits that food supplies. We were built to process foods proteins, carbohydrates and fats - not powdered or liquid supplements alone. If you want to make the best possible progress with your physique, I suggest that you forget the hype surrounding all supplement diets or meal replacement programs and get back to basics. And that means food." -

John Parillo, Author of High Performance Bodybuilding

I suggest you follow Mr. Parillo's advice: Whenever you have a choice, and whenever time permits, you should always choose whole foods over powders and drinks.

Fat Loss Lie #5: Thermogenic "fat burners" that contain ephedrine and caffeine are highly effective for permanent fat loss Xenadrine, Hydroxycut, Metabolife, Thermadrol, Diet Fuel, Stacker and Ripped Fuel. Ever heard of any of these? If not, you must have been living in a cave somewhere for the past ten years because "thermogenic" fat burning pills made with the herbal stimulant ephedra have become the hottest weight loss craze in the history of the industry.

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Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on these products every year and there's no end in sight to this fat burning pill feeding-frenzy. Even if Ephedra is banned for over the counter sale because of FDA pressure, it’s likely that ephedra-free stimulant products will take their place in short order, even if they’re weaker versions of the original products. The strength of the brand names seems to be carrying them forward. But are these thermogenic products all they're made out to be? Let me set the record straight once and for all. Open up any bodybuilding or fitness magazine these days and you'll see multi-page advertisements boasting of “amazing”, “clinically proven,” “university-tested” results, with dramatic photos of physiques allegedly transformed overnight by using these products. One headline says "Proven to increase fat loss 1700%." Another says "Burn up to 613% more fat!" Still another says, "34 times more fat lost than control group." Frankly, the hype surrounding these products borders on being ridiculous. Where did these numbers come from? 1700% or 613% or 34 times greater THAN WHAT? Obviously, some “apples” are being compared to “oranges.” It's easy for supplement companies to cleverly take statistics out of context - just one of many sneaky tricks they have up their advertising sleeves. (Did you know there’s an infamous book called “How to Lie With Statistics,” written on this very topic? If you don’t believe me, go to Amazon.com and see for yourself.) If any supplement really did burn 1700% more body fat, there wouldn't be any overweight people left! But there are: There are more overweight people today than ever before in history! Don't believe the hype! It’s not that these products don’t work at all – the problem is more in the deceptive marketing and advertising than the products themselves. The claims are simply outrageous. Thermogenic fat burners do work, but they don't work miracles and they’re not a substitute for proper nutrition and training. Because the primary ingredients ephedrine and caffeine are strong central nervous system stimulants, they also have many potential side effects and contraindications.

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Use caution if you use thermogenic products at all and never use them if you are sensitive to stimulants and/or have a history of heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disorders or any other medical problems. If you’re not sure if ephedra products are safe for you, check with your doctor first. Most of your results will come from hard training and a good diet. There are no magic pills. Why is it that people just don't seem to get this? It's human nature, I suppose. We all want instant gratification, so it's awfully easy to be swayed by the glossy four-page magazine spreads with those mind blowing (doctored?) before and after photos. Certain supplement companies are partly to blame for our obsession with fast results. Instead of teaching and educating the public about healthy, sensible, slow and steady permanent fat loss, they tease and tempt with very shrewd marketing campaigns. Testimonials, endorsements, scientific studies and before/after photos are incredibly persuasive because they appeal to your emotions. “Take this pill… go to bed…wake up skinny – it’s magic!” Even the names of the products were carefully chosen: Do you think it's a coincidence that the #1 selling herbal weight loss supplement Xenadrine sounds a lot like the prescription drug Xenical? Not a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask me about the ”drug” Xenadrine (Xenadrine is a brand name for an over-the-counter, ephedra product; Xenical is a prescription drug). If you want to lose body fat, get your diet and training program in order FIRST. Once you're eating nutritiously, moderately restricting your calories, doing cardio and working out with weights, then and only then - and only if you have a clean bill of health - should you even consider a thermogenic herbal product if you need an “extra boost.” Note: Personally, I’ve used ephedrine and ephedra products in the past and noticed a very strong stimulant effect which “boosted” my workouts, but I gave them up (for many reasons), and have not used them for years. I still reach 3-4% body fat every time I compete - with no thermogenic or “fat burning” supplements whatsoever. For more information on this subject, subscribe to my FREE Bodybuilding & Fitness Secrets (BFS) newsletter at www.fitren.com and check out issue # 16 in the Newsletter Archives, called “Why a long time ephedrine junkie gave up stimulant-based fat burners forever.”)

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Fat Loss Lie #6: Losing fat can be accomplished without hard work. If someone is eating poorly and not exercising, then they can often begin losing fat very quickly and easily, relative to their previous disappointing results. All they have to do is improve their nutrition and exercise habits and a quantum leap can often be made. With that distinction made, let me state unequivocally that permanent fat loss is never really “easy.” There is always effort and discipline involved, as there is with any worthwhile achievement. Endlessly searching for an easier way, a magic bullet, miracle cure, a holy grail, is a misguided quest. Losing fat is very simple, but for most people it is not easy. There's a big difference between simple and easy: "Simple" means there is nothing complicated about the process - it's like algebra; just plug in the numbers where the X's and Y's are, and the formula always produces the correct result. "Easy" implies that something can be done with little or no effort. Anyone who tells you they've discovered an “easy” way to lose fat is lying. Getting a lean and muscular body requires two things: 1) You must be willing to work hard 2) You must be patient The problem with many people is that they shy away from anything that appears to be hard work. They’re always looking for short cuts. As soon as they see something that promises results "quickly," "easily," "effortlessly," "while they sleep," "without exercise," and so on, they whip out their wallets and take the bait, hook, line and sinker. Shortcuts always fail! Take a shortcut and you're going to get lost, fall into a deep hole, or smack into a brick wall! Everything worth having in life has a price attached to it - EVERYTHING! (Study Emerson’s essay on Compensation). If you want a lean and muscular body, you must be willing to pay the price for a lean and muscular body. STOP looking for easy ways. Just pay the price and it’s yours – and it’s yours for life, because you didn’t depend on the crutch of a short-term gimmick.

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Make no mistake; people with great bodies, especially bodybuilders and fitness models, have worked very hard for a very long time to get where they are. Many of the best natural bodybuilders in the world are in their late 30's or early 40’s and have been training for 10, 15, even 20 years. It's an absolutely unbreakable law of the universe that you can't get something for nothing. Your results will come in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put in. You can only reap what you sow.

Fat Loss Lie #7: Some people will never be able to lose weight and they should just give up and accept their genetics for what they are. It's true; your heredity will, to a certain degree, dictate your athletic ability and the ease and speed with which you can lose fat. However, it's a lie to say that some people can't lose weight because they've inherited a "slow metabolism." Let's be honest; not everyone is going to become an Olympic Gold medallist, a Mr. Universe or a Miss Fitness America. However, you should never just "accept your genetics" and give up. Everybody can lose fat. It just takes a little longer for some than for others. Some people have inherited a metabolism and body type that tends to favor fat storage. This body type is called an "endomorph." Endomorphs may have a slower metabolism, they’re often carbohydrate sensitive, they gain fat quickly when they eat poorly, they gain fat quickly if they don't exercise, and they may hold onto stored fat, even on a clean, low fat diet. Weight loss is easier for some than for others and that doesn't seem fair. But that's the way life is. This simply means you're going to have to adjust your diet and training to fit your body type and metabolism. You may have to work harder than other people. You may have to be more persistent than other people. You might need a stricter diet than other people. You might need to train more intensely than other people. You might have less margin for error (fewer cheat days). The question is: Are you willing to do what it takes for you?

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I write and speak about the role of genetics in fitness a lot and the reason is because I'm sick and tired of hearing people using their "bad genetics" as an excuse for why they can't get in shape.

“Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they’re yours.” - Richard Bach, Author of “Illusions”

It's amazing what a human being can achieve when they have a crystal clear goal and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Need proof? Marla Runyan is a world champion middle distance runner. At the 2000 Olympic trials in Sacramento, Runyan captured third in the 1500 meters, finishing in 4:06.44; a time good enough to gain her a berth on the 2000 US Olympic team. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Runyan was eighth crossing the finish line in 4:08.30. Is this disappointing? Not when you consider that Runyan has been legally blind since her 9th birthday. Marla suffers from a genetically inherited disease of the retina, called Stargardt's. She is considered legally blind because her condition cannot be corrected. Her vision is limited to the peripheral - she can only see shapes in front of her, and can't even make out the face of her coach ten feet away. Despite this so-called handicap, Marla Runyan is the eighth best runner in the world in the 1500 meters. The first U.S. paralympian to reach the Olympics, Runyan says she doesn't even look at her lack of sight as an obstacle; "I think my vision is just a circumstance that happened and I don't look at it as a barrier. I never said I want to be the first legally blind runner to make the Olympics. I just wanted to be an Olympian." "I have been legally blind for 20 years. I am very used to my eyes and how the world appears to me. In fact, I am so used to it that I often forget I see things differently from everyone else. The track looks the same to me as it did 15 years ago. Therefore, I do not consider my vision impairment a "handicap" when it comes to running. It is not a factor or an excuse for a bad race."

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And then there's Carl Joseph. Carl Joseph was captain of his football team. He could dunk a basketball. He high jumped 5 feet 10 inches. He threw shot and discus. He was also born with only one leg. Like Runyan, the difference between Carl and others with genetically inherited disabilities is nothing more than his attitude. Carl Joseph didn't make excuses:

"A lot of people go through life wishing they could change this or that. God gave me one leg, and I'm just as happy and thankful to be healthy and to have done as much as I have. Ever since I was a kid I could do anything I wanted to. One leg or two, it didn't make any difference to me. It's all in the mind. My mind always told me I could do things, so I just went out and did them." - Carl Joseph When I first wrote about these two athletes as examples of what genetically disadvantaged people can achieve, I received an e-mail from an angry reader (who was very overweight and convinced that his genetics were to blame and there was nothing he could do about it). He wrote; “Tom, those are terrible examples. – Will a positive attitude restore Marla’s sight? Will positive thinking re-grow Carl’s leg?” I felt sorry for this poor fellow because he entirely missed the point, and because of his own “vision problem” he has limited his own development. The answer to his questions of course, are no; the chances of positive mental attitude growing back a leg or restoring one’s sight are mighty slim. But that doesn’t matter; the difference between people like Marla and Carl and the man who wrote to me is that Marla and Carl didn’t use their genetic disabilities as justification for their own failure and mediocrity or as an excuse for not even trying. Marla and Carl did the best they could with what they had. It was much harder for them; and even with all the effort, they still couldn’t reach the level of those without such disabilities. But being better than others was not the goal. What they did was to become the best they could be. They became champions in their own right. They got out there and played the game.

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Fat loss lie #8: Zero carbohydrate or very low carbohydrate diets are the best way to lose body fat permanently. No diet issue has created more confusion and controversy than the low carbohydrate vs. high carbohydrate debate. Contrary to what certain diet "guru's" tell you, carbohydrates are not fattening. It’s a flat out LIE to say, "carbohydrates are fattening." What's fattening is eating more calories than your body can use at one time. However, it's true that some people lose weight more quickly on a low carbohydrate diet (that's not the same thing as saying carbohydrates are fattening.) It's also true that almost every bodybuilder or fitness competitor uses some variation of the low carb diet to prepare for competitions. Despite these facts, very low carb diets are not the ultimate answer to permanent weight loss. At worst they are unhealthy. At best they’re a temporary tool that should be used only for short periods to achieve specific fat loss goals (preparing for bodybuilding competition, for example). Even for carb-sensitive, insulin-resistant, hypoglycemic people who respond well to less carbs and more protein/fat, there are still many drawbacks: 1) Very low carb diets are difficult to stick to. If you remove most of your carbohydrates from your diet for a long period of time, you’re setting yourself up for a relapse. The more you cut back the carbs, the bigger the rebound will be when you put carbs back in. That's why 95% of people gain back all the weight they lose on a very low carb diet. 2) Very low carb diets are often unbalanced and missing many nutrients. It’s still up for debate whether low carb programs like the Atkins diet are unhealthy, but few people would debate the fact that the optimal diet for long term maintenance is one that has balance between protein, carbs and fats and includes a wide variety of foods, not an overemphasis on one food or food group. 3) Very low carb diets may be unhealthy. Many low carb diets allow large amounts of saturated and processed fats. (No toast or pancakes are allowed, but bacon, sausage, butter and whole eggs for breakfast are just

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fine). In the absence of carbohydrates, you can eat fat with protein and you’ll still lose weight (fat doesn’t necessarily make you fat). But it's probably not wise to eat large amounts of saturated fat and it’s never wise to eat processed fats or trans fats. Although the effects of low carb, high fat/protein diets on various health markers is still up for debate, most people would be best to opt for a diet that is low in fat (below 30% of total calories) and moderate in carbs and protein. 4) Very low carb diets cause your energy levels to plummet. Not only will you feel tired and irritable without carbs, but your training will also suffer: Low carbs = low energy. Low energy = poor workouts. Poor workouts = poor results. 5) The weight loss on a very low carb diet can be deceiving. You will definitely lose weight if you don't eat carbs, but much of the initial weight loss will be muscle and water. Suppose you lose 5 lbs in one week on a low carb diet: That sounds impressive, but if one pound is fat, two pounds are water and two pounds are muscle, what did you accomplish? Your goal should never be weight loss. Your goal should be fat loss. Most people will lose fat simply by adding a regular exercise routine to their schedule and by "cleaning up" their diets. By "cleaning up" your diet, I mean that you’ve mastered all the nutritional basics like eating small frequent meals, controlling portion sizes, cutting down on unhealthy fats, avoiding sugar and refined foods, etc. Low carb diets can accelerate fat loss. But if you choose the low carb approach to dieting, the best method for most people is to decrease your carbohydrates moderately and add in some of the “good fats.” Cutting out carbs completely is not necessary, it's probably not healthy, it's hard to stick to, and it's no fun! It's usually not wise to go to extremes in anything and that’s as true for nutrition as anything else in life: moderation is the key.

Fat Loss Lie #9: If you eat the right foods, you can lose fat permanently without exercise. A full-page ad in a recent issue of the National Enquirer featured this headline:

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"Lose Up To 2 Pounds Daily... Without Exercise." Yeah right! And you'll make a million dollars a day too...without working! That's a whopper of a lie if I've ever heard one. Trying to lose fat without exercise is like trying to sit on a chair without four legs. If one leg is missing, your chair is going to fall over. An effective fat burning program must have four crucial components: 1. Aerobic exercise 2. Weight training 3. A nutrient dense diet of natural foods with a mild calorie deficit 4. Goal setting, motivation and a positive self image Except for those genetically gifted, fast-metabolism types (that we all love to hate), it‘s extremely difficult (if not impossible) for most people to lose fat permanently without exercise. It’s always better to BURN THE FAT than it is to try to starve the fat (refer back to Fat Loss Lie #2 for the reasons why). To lose fat, there must be a calorie deficit. Such are the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. However, there’s more than one way to create a calorie deficit. One way is to decrease your calorie intake (eat less). The other is to increase the amount of calories you burn though exercise. Of the two ways to create a calorie deficit, burning the calories is the superior method. This is because large, prolonged calorie deficits cause muscle loss and trigger the “starvation response.” Ironically, most people do the opposite: They slash their calories to starvation levels and exercise too little or not at all. Paradoxical as it seems, the most effective approach to fat loss is to eat more (keep the calorie reduction small) and let the exercise burn the fat. In fact, I wrote an entire full-length book on this subject, titled “Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.” You don’t have to starve yourself – you just have to choose the right foods and make exercise a part of your lifestyle. Why would anyone resort to starvation diets when they can burn fat more efficiently through exercise? Perhaps they believe that eating more food and working out at the same time will “cancel each other out. Maybe they shy away from the hard work involved in exercise. There’s also a trend

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these days towards avoiding too much aerobic exercise because of the notion that it will make you lose muscle. Quite to the contrary, aerobic exercise –combined with weight training - is the only method of fat loss that allows you to create a calorie deficit and burn fat without slowing down the metabolism. Here are the reasons why exercise - not dieting - is the superior method of losing body fat: 1. Exercise – aerobic and weight training - raises your metabolic rate. Dieting decreases your metabolic rate. 2. Exercise creates a caloric deficit without triggering the starvation response. 3. Exercise is good for your health. Dieting is harmful to your health. 4. Exercise, especially weight training, signals your body to keep your muscle and not burn it for energy. Dieting without exercise can result in up to 50% of the weight loss to come from lean body mass. 5. Exercise increases fat-burning enzymes and hormones. Dieting decreases fat burning hormones and increases fat storing hormones. 6. Exercise increases the cells sensitivity to insulin so that carbohydrates are burned for energy and stored as glycogen rather then being stored as fat. If anyone ever tries to sell you a program for losing weight and it doesn’t include exercise (it’s just a “diet”), hold on to your wallet and run for cover. Even if you could get lean without exercise, you should be working out for your health anyway, not just for cosmetic reasons.

Fat Loss Lie #10: You can lose 30 pounds of fat in 30 days LOSE 30 POUNDS IN 30 DAYS... GUARANTEED!!! LOSE 10 POUNDS THIS WEEKEND!!! You see ads like these all the time, and they sure are enticing, aren't they? But is it really possible? Can you really lose weight that quickly? The answer is YES. It's quite possible to lose 30 pounds in 30 days or 10 pounds over the weekend. But that's the wrong question; the question YOU should ask is,

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“How can I lose 30 pounds of FAT healthfully and permanently?” Don't confuse WEIGHT loss with FAT loss! Your body is 70% water, so it's easy to lose weight quickly. Any diet that dehydrates you will create quick, dramatic weight loss. Want to lose 10 pounds over the weekend? That’s easy! Just stop drinking water! Of course that would be pretty dumb and pretty dangerous too, but that's exactly what you're doing when you lose weight that quickly (you're simply dehydrating yourself - or even worse - you're losing lean body weight too!) The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), one of the largest and most respected health, medical and exercise organizations in the world, has established guidelines for healthy rates of weight loss. In their position statement on "Proper and improper weight loss programs," the ACSM recommends losing weight at a rate of no more than two pounds per week. This two pounds per week guideline has become recognized as the standard rate for safe weight (fat) loss. Time after time I see people get impatient and they attempt to violate this rule, only to lose muscle, slow their metabolisms and eventually gain all the fat back…and then some! Weight loss is not something to be rushed. You can lose 30 pounds of weight in 30 days, but you'll NEVER lose 30 pounds of fat in 30 days. There are virtually no limits to what you can achieve in the long run. You will absolutely STUN yourself at how much you can achieve in one, two, three years if you get on a supportive, healthy, long term nutrition and training program. You can reach virtually any fat loss or fitness goal that you’re truly committed to. However, you must be patient; there are definite limits to how quickly you can safely achieve fat loss.

"In the long run, you hit only what you aim at, so aim high." - Thoreau

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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Fat Loss Lie #11: “If all else fails, then steroids, growth hormone, weight loss drugs or surgery will help me lose this stubborn fat for good and regain my youthful look” To many people who are frustrated with little or no results, despite their best intentions, physique-enhancing drugs or hormones appear to be a panacea or “miracle cure.” Steroids have been around for a long time. So have obesity drugs. Lately, there’s been a huge push – especially on the Internet - for the use of Human Growth Hormone or Testosterone under the harmless sounding auspices of “anti-aging medicine” and “Hormone replacement therapy.” This sales pitch is being made mostly to the baby boomers, who desperately want to regain their youthful looks and vitality. Dramatic short-term results in body composition can be achieved from use of weight loss drugs, steroids, thermogenics, thyroid drugs, growth hormone and other chemicals. However, appearances can be deceiving. The road of drug use can be a wild ride in the beginning, but in the long run, it doesn’t lead you anywhere – it’s a dead end street. Regardless of whether we’re talking about illegal steroids and performance enhancers, prescription obesity drugs, hormone replacement therapy, or even over the counter “fat burning” drugs like ephedrine, these are all really one in the same: (1) Billion dollar money makers, and (2) Feeble short-term attempts at treating effects, not causes. Lets take weight loss drugs, for example: What would happen if the pharmaceutical companies finally came out with a “safe and effective” obesity drug and brought it to the marketplace on a massive scale? Here’s exactly what would happen: THE OBESITY PROBLEM WOULD CONTINUE, AND THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES WOULD GET RICHER!

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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Think about it: Did Xenical cure obesity? How about Phentermine? Meridia? Adipex? Bontril? Didrex? Tenuate? What about Ephedrine? Did that solve the obesity problem? How about gastric bypasses? 60,000 were performed last year. Did that solve the obesity problem? In a few extreme cases where someone’s health is at stake, and when time is of the essence, the benefits of drugs clearly outweigh the risks. However, even in these cases, you have to concede that it’s a short-term treatment. Here’s the problem with thinking that any drugs will be a long-term solution: We live in an orderly universe where everything happens for a reason (by “law”). For every effect, there is a cause. There are no accidents. A lean body never happens by accident. An overweight body never happens by accident. A lean body and an overweight body are effects. Both of these effects have causes. If you’re overweight, you can create lasting changes 100% of the time if you find the cause of the overweight condition and remove it. The cause of body fat in most cases is inactivity, poor nutrition and often a negative self-image. Taking drugs is only treating the effect (the fat). Even if the fat (the effect) is temporarily removed, it will always come back if the cause is still there. You can’t merely take pills or drugs that only treat symptoms/effects and expect a permanent change. The idea that some people were born to be fat is ridiculous and terribly disempowering. Equally disastrous is the belief that any pill will ever be a long-term solution to the obesity epidemic. Depending on your genetics, you may never look like Mr. or Miss Olympia, but you always have the power to improve your body and your health above and beyond where you are today. How? By accepting 100% total responsibility for your situation and then taking positive action every day for the rest of your life to improve it. You simply have to change your lifestyle! Try to fight the law or shirk hard work by looking for short cuts if you want, but in the end, you’ll always lose. Try to ignore the law if you want, but ignorance of the law does not excuse you from its operation.

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

www.burnthefat.com

"Whatever it is you seek in the form of rewards, you must first earn. All attempts to sidestep this law will end in failure, frustration and, if maintained long enough, ultimate demoralization. All over the world there are millions of people who are being hurt, confused, frightened, and whose lives are turned upside down because they don’t understand the principle law on which everything in the universe operates - the law of cause and effect." - Earl Nightingale

Lifelong health, fitness and a perfect body weight do not come out of a bottle or needle and NEVER will - no matter what new concoction they cook up in the lab. Those who think otherwise may gain temporary relief from health woes or enjoy some short-term benefits, but unless they change their lifestyles, they’ll have some hard lessons to learn in the long run. I envision a day when both the medical and fitness communities will join together to help stop this monumental error in thinking, and begin to teach people how to improve their lifestyles and alter their mental attitudes instead of writing prescriptions and selling “magic” pills. Dr. Joseph Mercola said it well: "It is my vision to transform the existing medical paradigm from one addicted to pharmaceuticals, surgeries and other methods that only conceal or remove specific symptoms - with morbid results to our health and economy -- to one focused on treating and preventing the underlying causes." Taking ANY kind of drugs to lose weight is never more than a desperate, fear-driven, short-term solution to a problem with deeply rooted and often unseen causes. To permanently become lean, you must identify the causes of excess fat, which can include poor nutrition, inactivity, unhealthy lifestyle, and negative self-image, and treat those. Only when the source of your problem is removed, will the unwanted effects disappear for good.

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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Fat Loss Lie #12: You Can Lose weight in just minutes each day (or week!) 3 MINUTE ABS 8 MINUTES IN THE MORNING! THE ONE WORKOUT A WEEK FITNESS REVOLUTION! CHANGE YOUR BODY IN 30 MINUTES A WEEK I'd like to caution you about the mindset of trying to get more results in less time. You should always, of course, look for ways get the most benefit from every minute you spend in the gym and improve the efficiency of your workouts. What I’m referring to when I speak of the “more for less” mindset is the error of looking for better results in the form of a “secret” training program, short cut, miracle pill, or easy, “overnight” cure without putting in any effort. There’s a fine line between training enough to stimulate growth and overtraining. We are warned continually not to overtrain or we’ll hold back our strength and muscle gains. We are also cautioned not to do too much aerobics or we’ll lose the muscle we already have. It’s true that many people are overtraining – maybe even most people. But just as there’s fine a line between optimal training and overtraining, there’s also a fine line between optimal training and undertraining. The minimalist “less is more” approach is highly appealing because it represents the ultimate “lazy man (or woman's)” approach. (And it SELLS!) The promoters are basically saying, "Hey pal, you're spending too much time in the gym and it's holding back your gains. Buy my secret miracle training program from Bulgaria, and you only have to train once or twice a week for a few minutes and you'll double your results." If you believe that, then I have some swampland in Florida and a Bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you. Call 1-800-YOU’VE-BEEN-HAD for details.

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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Briefer and less frequent workouts are only good to the extent to which they prevent you from overtraining and they optimize hormonal response to training. Minimalism as a marketing appeal is a completely different story. Make sure you recognize the difference between the two. I thought 8 minutes in the morning was ridiculous (but brilliant from a marketing perspective), now someone just wrote a book called 3-minute abs. What's next? 30-second abs? Massive muscles in five minutes? The one rep muscle revolution? Gimme a break! Just get your butt in the gym and train for forty-five minutes to an hour three to five days a week – or however much it takes for you to get the results you desire. Your body is begging for exercise – it’s an amazing machine that was designed to be used – often and vigorously. When the promoters of a program tell you that “ten minutes a day” or “once or twice a week” will get you a body like a bodybuilder or a fitness model, and you believe that, and you end up disappointed with your meager results, then I have no sympathy for you and the money you wasted. That's just plain naïve. You can get health benefits from very small amounts of exercise. Even walking to work or class, or raking the leaves in your yard can have health benefits. But you get even greater health benefits from larger amounts of exercise. Training for basic health benefits and training for maximum fat loss and muscle growth are not the same thing. To get maximum changes in body composition, you need a much higher frequency, duration and intensity. You can get a "training effect” (muscle growth and strength increase) in as little as two thirty-minute workouts per week - that is true - but to become super lean and extremely muscular - forget it! If that were the case, then all champion bodybuilders would be doing it. Here’s what it all boils down to: The rewards you take out will always come in direct proportion to the work you put in.

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” -

Vince Lombardi.

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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About The Author Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, trainer, nutrition consultant, freelance writer, gym owner and success coach based in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is the founder of Fitness Renaissance (www.fitren.com), a health and fitness consulting and publishing company, and the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” (BFFM) - fat burning secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Tom has written over 150 articles and has been featured in IRONMAN magazine, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Muscle-Zine, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise. His inspiring and informative columns are also featured regularly on dozens of websites worldwide including GlobalFitness.Com, Female Muscle.Com, Bodybuilding.Com, Will Brink’s Muscle Building Nutrition.com, Critical Bench.Com, Lee Labrada’s Lean Body Coaching Club, A to Z Fitness.Com and too many others too mention. FREE Newsletter: Bodybuilding & Fitness Secrets (BFS) E-Zine Subscribe to Tom’s FREE monthly E-Zine at the Fitness Renaissance Website here: http://www.fitren.com/listserv.cfm (Includes FREE access to the newsletter archives!) Be Sure to Check out Tom’ s Superb E-Book: New e-book Reveals The Fat Burning Secrets of the World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models... Discover How To Quickly And Easily Lose Fat Permanently...Even In Your Mushiest Spots...Without Drugs, Pills or Fad Diets, and Without Screwing Up Your Metabolism – Guaranteed! For All The Details, Click Here: www.burnthefat.com

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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The Ultimate Method for Permanent, Natural Fat Loss…

Discover How to Lose Stubborn Body Fat Quickly And Easily At Any Age, Even if You’ve Tried Everything and Nothing Has Ever Worked For You Before Dear Friend, If you want to lose fat permanently while maintaining your muscle, and you want to do it naturally – without drugs, pills, gimmicks or fad diets – then this will be the most important message you will ever read. Here’s why: A small health & fitness publishing company from New Jersey (Fitness Renaissance), has finally decided to publish a full length e-book about how to lose body fat using the little known methods of natural bodybuilders and fitness models. Here are some of the amazing facts you will learn when you read this exciting and revealing new book: •

Why 95% of all diets fail...and the exact, detailed steps you must take to be in the successful 5% (and stay there!)

•

Why it's physiologically impossible for conventional diets to ever work...unless you know this one simple trick! It's a metabolism-saver for chronic dieters and it's one of the first things the author would teach you if he coached you in person

•

The twelve worst foods you should never eat

•

The twelve best foods you should eat all the time

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Why dieting below your critical calorie level can wreck your metabolism and actually make you fatter! (and how to know when you're in the danger zone)...also, the precise calculations for your optimal calorie level

•

How to eat 50% more calories without storing an ounce as fat - It's true -you can actually eat more food while losing more fat if you use this simple, but often overlooked strategy!

•

The #1 reason why most people can't drop the last 10 lbs of ab flab and how you can lose it with ease...and (if you want to), go even further and get “ripped” and rock-hard like a bodybuilder or fitness model

•

Important lessons you can learn from the Zone and Atkins diet...including the hidden reason why most people fail on both diets in the long run

•

The one food combination you should NEVER, EVER eat - break this rule and you're guaranteed to pack on lumps of ugly fat so fast you'll wonder what hit you! (and almost everybody's doing it!)

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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•

Which body type classification you are and how to eat right for your body type (if you're eating wrong for your body type you can forget about losing any fat no matter how hard you train or how strictly you diet)

•

The #1 most effective way to burn body fat ever (If you could only make ONE change to your current diet program, this would be it!)

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7 strategies to make sure your body never goes into "starvation mode" and the ONE THING you must do IMMEDIATELY if you suspect it's already happened

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The three critical factors that determine whether you'll lose muscle while dieting...and how the slightest nutritional "tweak" can guarantee you keep every ounce of lean muscle mass while you quickly drop the fat

•

Dozens of the best-kept fat burning secrets of bodybuilders and fitness models that almost NOBODY knows about...compiled by a 14-year, rare study of the most "ripped" athletes on earth

•

What to do when you've tried everything and the stubborn fat still won't come off (this is one of the little-known tactics bodybuilders and fitness models use in the final weeks before competitions)

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Secrets of meal frequency and timing that will amplify your body's natural rate of calorie-burning (There's a lot more to it than just eating small, frequent meals)

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How a "new spin" on the old low carb diet can increase your rate of fat loss to the maximum possible without muscle loss or metabolic downgrade

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Why you will almost ALWAYS fail to keep the fat off if you use a conventional low carbohydrate diet - If you've failed on low carb diets before, this is the reason why

•

The truth about how much cardio you REALLY need to lose the fat and the best times to do it for maximum impact

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Not one, but FOUR weight training programs designed to fit your schedule and experience level - plus a "conservative" routine for "time-crunched" people who can't train as often as they'd like to

•

Unleash the awesome hidden powers of your mind and find out the psychological reason why most people unconsciously sabotage themselves...just when their diets are beginning to work!

•

The psychology of permanent fat loss...Goal setting and motivation tactics that program your subconscious mind for massive success...Follow this "secret mental training formula" and you'll be practically "hypnotized" into eating properly and working out consistently

And that’s just a tiny fraction of what you’ll learn in this information dense guidebook to a leaner, more muscular body. This book comes with an iron-clad money back guarantee and it’s easy to order. Best of all, because it’s finally available as an instantly downloadable e-book, you can get started within the next 10 minutes and begin seeing and feeling results immediately. To get more information, or to place your order, simply click on the link below:

www.burnthefat.com PS. You also get 5 FREE bonuses worth $380.00 if you decide to order before the introductory promotion ends…

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

www.burnthefat.com

Check Out These Amazing Reviews of Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle! Critical Acclaim From Respected Medical Professionals: “Dear Tom, It's been 6 weeks since I purchased your BFFM course. It is the most thorough, effective, and medically accurate course in exercise, bodybuilding, physiology, psychology, and nutrition I have EVER read or owned in twenty years of medical practice. This is not because I've been uninformed. I have many thousands of books, journals, and research articles on these subjects in my personal library and I am board certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Radiology. I've incorporated your information into my own daily routines and have made strides in bodybuilding and mental focus beyond anything I've imagined. After assimilating your course, I would happily pay more than one thousand dollars for the information and your unique insights. In short, your program is awesome. It's beautifully simple and incredibly powerful. You probably can tell I'm excited with the results. I am interested in buying anything you produce. Thanks a million.” Brian N. Vonk, M.D. Omaha, NE “Tom, I've just finished reading your book. It's outstanding!! Being a physician, I think you have done an excellent job of clearing all the nutritional confusion that is out there and not dishing out some romantic notions or pseudoscientific BS. I think that by far and away the greatest idea of your book is quantification of the various parameters (lean body mass, body fat%, etc) on a weekly basis and using this data to ultimately guide your nutritional and exercise regimen. How come I have never read about this in magazines such as "Muscle and Fiction"? I cannot wait to post you 3 months from now and tell you how well I'm doing! Thank you! I am looking forward to getting started on an exciting voyage!” Isaac Cohen, M.D. "Hi Tom - Greetings from Down Under! I thoroughly enjoyed your book and it has made an incredible difference to my body shape and fat %. I know it's very hard to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, but your program has helped me to lose 18 kg (39.6 lbs) of fat while gaining 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of lean body mass. Anyway, I have and will continue to recommend your book to others! Thanks heaps!" Dr. Jurgen Stahl, M.D. South Australia

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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"Dear Mr. Venuto: I have been a professional in health care for the better part of 10 years. And I've been a fitness enthusiast for the better part of the last 20 years. I have seen and read nearly everything out there from lose a hundred pounds by chewing gum to the Bulgarian lard eating diet. You name I've seen it and like you I find most of it to be hype and misrepresenting garbage. You sir, have hit the mother lode. You provide, in my mind, the only book people will ever need on this topic. In simple, easy to understand language you have distilled and clarified the raw fundamentals of what it really takes to be lean and you've taken it from the people who do it best: The bodybuilders. It really is a fantastic book for the practical and pragmatic person and anyone who could care less about theories and 'exotic worm and tree bark diets.' You have distilled this down so well that I am trying to taper down my enthusiasm for fear it would be interpreted as hype. I thank you so very much for this effort for myself and in advance for all those who will benefit. I have and will strongly recommend this as a mandatory read for those who want the straight shot on what it takes to lose weight, lose the fat and get strong." All My Very Best, Dr. Michael Marasco USA

Praise From Top Health & Fitness Industry Authors & Experts: “Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto offers a wide variety of helpful solid information for the dieter. The strength of this book lies not just in its diet information per se, but in its extensive use of motivational techniques and helpful ways for people to stay focused on their goals. Truth is, setting the proper goals and keeping motivated, is half the battle to successful long-term fat loss, and this books excels in that area. No matter which diet you follow, whether Tom's, my own, the Zone, Atkins, or any other, I consider 'Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle' to be a very worthy addition to the library of anyone looking to lose fat and keep muscle.” Will Brink, Industry Consultant, trainer, and author of Diet Supplements Revealed and Muscle Building Nutrition. www.burnthefat.com

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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“There are all sorts of diets that can help you lose weight (not necessarily FAT) in the short-term, BUT neither safe nor effective for the long-run. Tom's new BFFM program, on the other hand, is literally a nutritional blueprint for achieving the very best results in the shortest period of time by eating the perfect foods combined at the right times in the right amounts - all customized specifically for you. This innovative book is chock full of highly effective nutritional strategies designed to turn your body into a 24-hour fat-burning, muscle-building, machine. Tom Venuto, in my opinion, is the leading, VERY BEST fitness expert and author of our time and much of my and our client's success are due to his teachings. He and his book are on the cutting edge of science and don't miss a nutritional tip, trick, secret, or strategy in achieving amazing results. What's more, they are offered in an easy-to-understand and east-to-follow format. I highly recommend BFFM for anyone wanting to look, feel, and perform at their very best. It should be the step-by-step guide to everyone's fitness plan - an absolute must have! Do not wait another minute to purchase this incredible book...learn it, live it, and love the results you'll soon achieve!" Chad Tackett, BS, CPT President/CEO Global-Fitness.com "Amazingly, in a simple yet comprehensive style, Tom Venuto in BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE has "digested' all of the science and mythology surrounding fat loss and into an entertaining, informative, and well-organized book that is sure to become an insider's classic on how to understand and then implement an effective fat loss process for the rest of our lives." Lori Victoria Braun Female Muscle.com “Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is an extremely powerful fat loss system that virtually anyone can use to lose fat permanently - without spending a fortune on supplements or following some crazy diet. Tom Venuto has taken 14 years of study, research, and trial and error, and wrapped it up in a refreshingly honest step-by-step guide that's jam-packed with all the information you'll need to shed stubborn body fat quickly and easily. Quite simply, Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is a "must have" for anyone who wants to cut through the hype and get clear on exactly what it takes to look and feel their very best. A rare gem - I highly recommend it." Christian Finn, M.Sc., The Facts About Fitness.com www.burnthefat.com

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

www.burnthefat.com

Success Stories & Testimonials From Men & Women Just Like You… “When I started the program in September, I was 248 pounds with 24% body fat. With Tom's information, I have been able to lose 43 pounds - all of it fat. My Body fat is now 12%. I also no longer spend $400 a month on supplements.” Jerry McBride, Philadelphia, PA “After only 7 weeks on BFFM, I have gone from 198 lbs and 26% fat to 195 lbs and 22 % fat. That's an increase in muscle of 6 lbs. and a loss of over 8 lbs of fat.” Jerry Morales Seville, Spain “I started the program at 254 lbs and 36% body fat. I am now down to 214 lbs and 22% body fat, so I have lost 44 lbs of fat and gained 5 lbs of lean body mass." Dave Mullen, Gibsonia, PA UPDATE: “I noticed that you have a testimonial of mine saying I am at 214lbs and 22% fat with a fat loss of 44lbs. I'm very happy to say I am now at 198lbs and 16% fat, so my total fat loss is now about 60lbs. Feel free to update your site with my latest information. I'm still making steady progress towards my ultimate goal of 70+ pounds of fat loss and single digit body fat.” Dave Mullen “The program worked like a charm. From the very beginning I started to lose fat. After the first 3-months, I have dropped my body fat from 20% down to 13%. I have lost 13.3 pounds of fat and gained 3.3 pounds of muscle. Another measurement I could not believe was this: My waist went down from 97 cm to 85 cm! I wrongly assumed that at 46 years old, I was going to have a really hard time reaching this goal, if ever. Getting into your program was one of the best investments I made in my life. Many thanks Tom...” Roberto Paramo Bogota, Columbia “Your manual is by far the best thing I've ever read on the subject, and believe me, I read everything I can get my hands on. Also, as a mother of five children, when I finally have a moment to sit down and read, the material better be interesting or I'll fall right asleep. Hats off to you ... I was able to read the BFFM manual without taking one nap! Everything was explained in a way that even tired moms could understand. Thanks again Tom.” Eva Stephens Coopersburg, PA www.burnthefat.com

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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“The manual is so full of useful, practical information for women my age who want to regain and retain a youthful look (I'm 44) by eating right and exercising regularly. I've already lost 6 lbs. and gained lean muscle as well. I am so excited about this I want to explode! I'm finding the meal plans quite easy to follow. Thank you, Tom! You have not only helped me with my diet and exercise regimen, but you have also given me the knowledge to understand the "why" behind your advice. You are and continue to be one of my sources of inspiration and motivation. And, I WILL continue to keep going....not just for now but for life.” Sally Sapsford “I ordered BFFM on January 24th and every week so far, I've lost 2.0 to 2.5 pounds. In 8 weeks, I went from 240 to 218 and I can almost fit into 36" pants that I've had in the closet for two years. People at work are asking me all the time what I did. It's very nice that I'm not so conscious of my body if I have to take my shirt off doing yard work or something. It's also good to get back into my smaller clothes. You were right: After a few weeks, everything becomes a habit. I don't even count calories anymore. It's easy to substitute foods, and I eat more now than I used to. If I can get back into shape working night shift, and watching an infant all day while my wife is at work, I tell anyone there's no excuse and you have to make time! I'm now shooting for single digit body fat - 8% is my goal.” John Kline “I am an exercise physiologist at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas and I ordered your book because I’m extremely interested in anything to do with health. You have done an excellent job of putting diet, cardio, weights, and motivation together, and you've accomplished it without using a lot of technical terms that the average person would not understand. I found your manual to be very informative, straightshooting, and an overall excellent read. It is refreshing to find someone who isn't pushing magic pills, but rather is educating people with proven methods you could have easily kept to yourself. I'm so glad you didn't! Keep up the good work!!!” Julie Wade Carollton, TX THANK YOU for Burn The Fat Feed the Muscle (BFFM). It has changed my life. I have lost 3 dress sizes in 4 months and feel better than ever before. The best $39 I ever spent! I tell everyone who is interested in how I am losing fat (just had a baby in April) about your book. I now have my husband on the program. We have our own gym and treadmill in our garage. With 4 kids -- its the only way to sneak in a workout. If we can do it with 4 kids and full time jobs -- anyone can. Sure, I sometimes miss my sweet treats, but nothing tastes as good as thin and fit feels! Lynn Ramirez, California, USA www.burnthefat.com

Copyright 2003, Fitness Renaissance. LLC

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“I have been working out steady for about a year and a half now. I've purchased all the books by all the fitness "gurus" and I have all the videos too, plus with all the web surfing and the magazines I read I always felt like I knew enough to get me where I wanted to be - but I never could. It's just like you said - most of the information is conflicting if not more than a little confusing and all the latest and greatest "programs" are not complete or thorough enough so you really end up just guessing. This is what I believe has lead me to plateau - time after time - at that last 10 lbs. and then to eventually start regaining all I had previously lost. I always had this wish when I looked thru Flex and M&F that one of the real experts would put it all out there, lay it on the line, share with us "wannabe's" the complete process it takes to get from bulky to ripped. Then by accident, I found your book - my wish had come true! Never before have I ever read anything that comes close to the BFFM manual. I understand so much more now, I feel that I finally have the tools and the knowledge that I need to become my personal best. This book is by far the best investment I've made, it beats all the others hands down. I'm looking forward to reaching goal after goal after goal. Thank you again and again.” Denise Boyce Irving, TX

THOUSANDS of Men and Women Just Like You - In 70 Countries Worldwide – Have Already Used the BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE Program to Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, Increase Energy and Develop “Eye of The Tiger,” Unstoppable Motivation. BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE Is a Sure-Fire, 100% Guaranteed, Proven and Tested Program That Will Get You The Results You Want – Without Gimmicks, Hype or Quick Fixes. This Program is The Real McCoy And Now That It’s Finally Available in E-Book Format, You can Download it Instantly and Get Started Just MINUTES From Now. Take Control of Your Body and Your Life NOW and Click Here For More Information:

www.burnthefat.com

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